Cameras flash blinds 3 month old baby on HWN SPOTLIGHT

A 3-month-old baby has suffered irreversible damage in one eye after a photographer forgot to turn off the flash while taking close-up photos during a photo-shoot.

Doctors have said the infant, who has not been named, suffered irreparable damage from the flash of the camera which was held too close to his face.

The parents noticed something was wrong with the vision of their baby after the pictures were taken by a photographer who was family friend.

The incident has seen the baby suffering from reduced vision in the left eye and blindness in the right eye. The damage is reportedly permanent and cannot be fixed with surgery as the strong flash damaged cells on the macula, which is the part of the eye where incoming light rays are focused.

Damage to the macula can lead to loss of central vision, which allows people to see straight.

Acording to experts the macula is not fully developed until children are 4 years old, and so infants are very sensitive to bright light. Just a few milliseconds of bright light can cause permanent damage.

It is unclear if the family friend who caused the blindness will face any criminal charges.

Source: WWWN, HWN Africa.